On 14 June 2024, the Serbian Competition Commission (the “Commission”) initiated two proceedings against companies belonging to the Agromarket Group for allegedly implementing notifiable concentrations without obtaining prior approval from the Commission. The acquisitions occurred in 2020 and 2024 and both concern targets located outside of Serbia.

You may have noticed that there has been a discussion about an amendment to the Act on Protection of Competition in recent weeks. If it passes the legislative procedure, what would it mean in practice?

Turunc has advised Pollet Medical Group on obtaining the approval of the Turkish Competition Board for the majority acquisition of Farmasol.

Avellum has advised Knorr-Bremse on obtaining merger clearance from the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine for its acquisition of Alstom Signaling via its subsidiary Knorr Brake Holding Corporation.

In a recent judgment, the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) held that the claim "climate neutral" is ambiguous and often misleading unless the advertisement itself explains its specific meaning. This sets a trend for Austria, where courts have traditionally followed the standards set by the BGH in relation to environmental advertising when assessing such claims under unfair competition law. On an EU level, the restrictions regarding claims about greenhouse gas emissions are becoming even stricter, leaving advertisers with much to consider before making claims such as "climate neutral".

Bernitsas has advised Unity Holding Company on the acquisition of Entersoft. The firm also advised Unity Holding Company on obtaining the Phase 1 merger clearance for the acquisition from the Hellenic Competition Commission.